William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library-Columbus, Ohio Thompson Library is the main library at Ohio State, serving more than 60,000 students. This project transformed the library that largely functioned as three separate buildings into a unified and flexible 21st-century research library and campus hub. Challenges included reconfiguring the internal organization and merging building styles and materials without increasing the building's gross size.
Architect: Gund Partnership / Acock Associates Architects

Unity Junior High Schoo-Cicero, Illinois The new 442,000-square foot junior high school is composed of two 1,800-student schools joined to share common spaces. The four-story building features academic spaces along a curved spine, a media center, and a large student commons. The school’s curved exterior fits the length of the building on the site and breaks up the long corridor into a shorter perceived length. On each end of the curve, glass-enclosed stair towers taper to a wedge, funneling natural light into the interior spaces during the day. At night, the towers appear as glowing beacons to the area's downtown.
Architect: FGM Architects

Renovation of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library-New York, New York Originally designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, 18,000-square-foot St. Agnes Library was built in 1906 with funds from Andrew Carnegie. Its limestone Renaissance Revival facade features three large arched windows and a dramatic, 10-foot-high modillioned cornice with balustrades. The interior focal point is a monumental, three-story-high central staircase. Helpern Architects' three-year-long renovation revived this historic structure and reestablished it as a neighborhood resource. The project required extensive research and also considerable reversal of unfortunate patchwork repairs. Its best new feature is the children's story hour nook with a reclaimed glass shed roof.
Architect: Helpern Architects

Plainfield High School-Plainfield, Indiana The new Plainfield High School was developed to be a community campus--to provide warmth, character, and a sense of place. A ribbon concept connects the building to the exterior site through a major pedestrian pathway that weaves out of the building's athletic event entry to the exterior athletic complex, providing accessibility to all fields and support buildings. An internal "street" creates a clear circulation path within the 494,000-square-foot facility and links the three major building pavilions--fine arts, academics, and student athletic programs. The building's horizontal massing, roof forms, and palette of brick--with stone trim and vertical glazed openings with colored accent glazing--draw their inspiration from elements of the Prairie Style.
Architect: Schmidt Associates

Naperville Central High School-Naperville, Illinois Naperville Central High School recently completed Phase I of its addition and renovation project. The phase included 170,000 square feet of new construction and 370,000 square feet of renovated space. The project incorporates sustainable design and construction features, peppered throughout the building and site. The school opened its doors for the 2010-11 school year, unveiling new classrooms, science labs, and athletic and wellness space. The existing science labs and U-shaped courtyard were converted into a new student cafeteria and commons space, while the existing cafeteria was transformed into a new library and media center.
Architect: Wight & Company

A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School of Engineering-Greenville, South Carolina The A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School of Engineering features a metal "cube" that organizes the front and rear entrances and frames an exceptional view of downtown Greenville. The building was designed on multiple levels to take advantage of the site that slopes down to Greenville's Reedy River. The project is unique for many reasons. It is the first engineering technology elementary school in South Carolina; it is named for a local civil rights leader, A.J. Whittenberg, and is the first inner-city school built since segregation; and it is constructed on the same site as the Salvation Army's Kroc Community Center, which houses a swimming pool, full-size gymnasium, an after-school program, and a theater (also designed by CGD). The project is pursuing LEED silver certification, recognition as an environmentally friendly building.
Architect: Craig Gaulden Davis Inc.

Poly Canyon Village-San Luis Obispo, California MVE Institutional designed 868 units with 2,700 beds into nine structures, each four to five stories high, and arranged to secure sightlines to surrounding hillsides for more than 90 percent of occupants. The nine structures are divided into three “neighborhoods” defined by topography, social considerations, and architectural details. The neighborhoods reflect the mixed Mediterranean architectural traditions of California Polytechnic State University and of California’s Central Coast. Each of the neighborhoods has informal outdoor gathering spaces, courtyards, common lobbies, and study areas. In the main square, or “town center,” are retail services, including a market, coffee, casual dining outlets, copy shop, and the student-run “Canyon Post.”
Architect: MVE Insitutional / Niles Bolton and Associates

Panola College Library-Carthage, Texas Consisting of a renovation and a new addition to an existing library, this adaptive use project is the new heart of the Panola College campus. The design intended to be flexible enough to allow continuous operation of the existing library during construction. In addition to traditional stacks and study rooms, the program includes an art gallery, a student lounge, and large multifunctional convention-style rooms. The new Panola Library is designed as a hub of information available to students and the community. The project successfully stitched the new with the old to become one building that can only belong to this specific campus, creating pedestrian/visual connections as well as contextual empathy that stimulates and improves Panola College’s campus.
Architect: Corgan Associates

PS/IS 276 - Battery Park City School-New York, New York The Battery Park City School serves 950 students from prekindergarten through eighth grade and special education students. A flexible example of a "high-rise" school, the eight-story building's massing reflects the vertical orientation of the program. Public assembly spaces and pre-K through fourth grade are accommodated on the first four floors. Shared spaces, such as the cafeteria, library, art, and other specialized classrooms are on the fifth and sixth floors. The seventh and eighth floors are designed to accommodate the fifth through eighth grades. A 10,000-square-foot outdoor play roof is on the third floor. Combined with high-efficiency boilers and other equipment, extra insulation and photovoltaic solar panels, the school's energy costs are reduced by more than 25 percent.
Architect: Dattner Architects

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Few would argue that one aspect of good design is that it is long lasting. Unlike fashionable design, good design lasts many years—even in today’s throwaway society. In its recent Design for Decades initiative, the American Institute of Architects invited its members to submit examples of their best design projects--including small, large, commercial, residential, public, private, interiors, historic preservation, engineering, landscape, and urban design projects--and received an overwhelming response. Each we'll feature a selection of these projects. As you'll see, these projects by AIA members serve as a snapshot in time that can be viewed by future generations of architects and demonstrate the lasting value of design. We begin our feature with some of the finest educational facilities designed by AIA members.